Baby Steps Features One of the Most Impactful Decisions I've Ever Experienced in Video Games

I've faced some difficult choices in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence prompted me to pause the game for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my choices. I am responsible for countless Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations compare to what could be the toughest selection I’ve had to make in a video game — and it has to do with a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out, is hardly a choice-driven game. At least not in the conventional way. You only need to walk around a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It looks like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s no situation that demonstrates that power like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Spoiler Warning

A bit of context is necessary here. Baby Steps game starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from his family's basement and into a magical realm. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a challenge, as a lifetime spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all stems from users guiding Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate requires assistance, but he has trouble voicing that to others. During his adventure, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A self-assured trekker attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he plunges into an inescapable pit and is given a way out, he strives to appear nonchalant like he can manage alone and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s key situation of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his adventure, he realizes that he must ascend of a snow-capped peak. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) comes to inform him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail named The Challenge. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to anyone.

But there’s a other possibility: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs as an alternative and get to the top in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Master” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Difficult Selection

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in context. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in a single ridiculous instant. An element of Nate's story is centered around the reality that he’s self-conscious of his physique and male identity. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Taking on The Obstacle could be a time where he can prove that he’s as capable as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit suffering just to demonstrate something?

The staircase, on the flip side, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The gamer cannot choose in about they turn away a map, but they can choose to give Nate a break and choose the staircase. It ought to be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about creating doubt whenever you see a simple solution. The world is filled with planned obstacles that change a secure way into a difficulty on a dime. Are the stairs yet another trap? Will Nate get at the peak just to be let down by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he prepared to be humiliated yet again by being compelled to refer to a strange individual as Master?

No Right or Wrong

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options leads to a genuine moment of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a moment to show that he’s as able as others, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s difficult, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the dose of confidence that he requires.

But there’s no disgrace in the steps too. To select that route is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he discovers that there’s no real catch in store for him. The steps are not a joke. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip completely down if he stumbles. It’s a easy journey after hours of struggle. Halfway up, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, chosen to take The Manbreaker. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the deal hardly seems so unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

My Choice

In my playthrough, I opted for the stairs. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call